References: Your Personal Public Relations

Every successful marketing plan includes some sort of public relations component. To market yourself as the ideal employee, you need good PR! And in the job search process that PR most often comes in the form of employment references.

Are you thinking, "I’ve got that covered...I already have a list of references"? If so, you may not be as prepared as you think. Consider these ideas to enhance your public relations campaign.

The Right Spokesperson is Everything

Why did Nike pay Tiger Woods more than $40 million to be their spokesperson? Because Tiger Woods sells a lot more product than Tiger Jones. Your references say a great deal about you—and choosing the right people to represent you is critical.

Who should you include? Your references should encompass a variety of people who can attest to your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. While you may not be able to get Tiger Woods on the list, you should look for the following types of people:

• Former supervisors who can directly verify your work habits and successes
• Senior executives in companies where you worked
• Former customers who can vouch for your communication and service skills
• Former academic advisors who can attest to your intelligence and problem solving ability
• Coaches who can validate your leadership and teamwork skills

Who shouldn't you include? Avoid friends, relatives, co-workers, subordinates, and members of social or community organizations. While these people may have great things to say about you, they lack credibility to a prospective employer. Stick with those individuals who can be your Tiger Woods.

Good PR Starts with the Right Message

Public relations firms don't leave much to chance. When they want a story to be published in the paper, they do the work for the reporter, providing key facts, background data, and even a draft of the story. Likewise, don't leave your references to chance. Sit down with each person you want to include, and have a candid conversation.

• Ask permission to include that person as a reference.
• Explain why you selected the person and what you hope to get from the reference.
• Verify that each reference is comfortable providing the information you want.
• Ask each person what he or she would say about you.
• If you are happy with the reference, confirm the information to include in your reference list.

If the conversation goes well, and you like what the reference has to say, you may want to create a first draft of a letter of recommendation for your reference to review. This may sound presumptuous, but most people will appreciate your trying to save them time.

Presentation Counts

A press release follows certain standards and conventions, but at the same time, masters of the art know how to best present the information they want to emphasize. Your reference list is your press release, and how you present it can be almost as important as what information it contains.

A well-structured reference list should include the following:

• The name of the reference
• The person's current employer and job title
• Contact information including mailing address, phone number and e-mail address
• A description of your relationship with this individual
• A brief overview of the qualifications this person can discuss

For example:

Mr. John Smith
Senior Vice President, Acme, Inc.
1234 Main Street
Anytown, NY 12345
Work: (716) 555-1234
Home: (716) 555-6789
e-mail: jsmith@acmeinc.com

Mr. Smith managed the division where I worked at Acme.
He is familiar with my accomplishments and leadership skills.

Get the Word Out

If Nike hired Tiger Woods, and then never used him in a commercial or had him wear their logo, what would the value be? Likewise, if you develop high-powered references, and then don't use them, what's the value?

While reference lists should generally be sent on request, there can be other creative ways to use your references in your personal PR campaign. Some ideas include:

• Include a quote from a reference in the body of a cover letter.
• Send a letter of recommendation as a follow-up to an interview.
• Provide a well-formatted reference list along with any job application that asks for references.
• Specifically ask each interviewer if he or she would like to review your reference list.

A Final Thought

Nike writes Tiger Woods a REALLY big check in exchange for his endorsement. While no cash will exchange hands, you should explicitly show your appreciation to the people willing to serve on your behalf. Send a thank you note, drop off a small gift, or call just to express your gratitude. By nurturing your reference list, you will not only make your referenceS feel good, but you will also reinforce your positive characteristics, which will lead to better references!